Hydraulic air-pump



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E. HQWEATHERHBAD.

HYDRAULIG *AIR PUMP.

No. 503,819. l 4PatentedAug; 22, 1893.l

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

f E. H. WEAIHERHEA1)l HYDRAULIC A1B. PUMP. No. 503,819. Patented Aug. 22, 1893.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

EDWARD H. VEATI-IERI-IEAD, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

HYDRAULIC AIR-PUMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Eatent No. 503,819, dated August 22, 1893.

Application iiled Il`uly 23,1890. Serial No. 359,667. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern/s Be it known that I, EDWARD H. WEATHER- HEAD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hydraulic Air- Pumps; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to hydraulic air pumps of the variety in which hydraulic pressure is employed to compress air or to force air under pressure into a chamber or receptacle and in which the action of the apparatus is automatic and continuous as long as the hydraulic pressure is maintained and excessive back pressure of air is not encountered.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a vert-ical central section of the apparatus with the parts in position to begin the expulsion of the air from the air chamber in the top of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a similar sectional view with the pump pistons, valve and diaphragm at the upper limit ot their stroke after the air has been expelled from the said air chamber. In these views the diaphragm chamber is broken at the sides to bring it within the sheet. Fig. 3 is a central vertical' section showing the position of the valve and lower piston when the duid is discharging from the space below the upper piston and beneath the diaphragm.

The diaphragm chamber and a broken section of the piston chamber are reduced to get said parts in the drawings.

In the several views 10 represents the main casing,whieh is advantageously cast in a single piece with all the parts and chambers therein, but it may be made sectional `il' preferred. This casing is provided with an inlet port 11, for the fluid under pressure, such for example, as is ordinarily obtained from city mains, and an outlet or exhaust port 12, in

this instance at right angles to port 11, though it may sustain any other relation thereto. Inside the casing are what may be, for convenience of description, termed three different chambers for the two diiterent pistons and the main valve. Ihus there is a chamber 13 for the valve 14, a chamber 15 for the piston 16, and a chamber 17 for the piston 1S.

The chambers 13 and 15 are of different diameter, and the valve 14 and piston 16 of correspondingly different area so that the pump may act automatically as it is designed to do. Thus it will be seen that the valve 14 and piston 16 are rigidly connected, the connection in this instance being a tubularneclr having side openings 17', but any other rigid open work connection may be used.l The opposed faces of valve and piston are exposed to the full head of water pressure at all times, and of course as the area of the piston is greater than the area of the valve, the parts will move downward if unaffected by other conditions. Other conditions are however provided for. It will be noticed that the chamber 15 for piston 16 is closed at its bottom and sides, but fluid is enabled to enter said chamber through the openings 17 into the connection between valve and piston, and thence through openings 1S in auxiliary valve tube 19 down beneath the said piston 16. The tube 19 is open at its lower end, and is packed in the piston 16 so as to be fluid tight about its sides. .Whatever the positions of this piston and tube the tube never is withdrawn from the piston. It will be noticed that the free space within the connection between valve 14 and piston 16 is of such length that when the tube is down, as in Fig. 1, so that its openings 18' are benteath the valve, it may remain there and continue to supply pressure iiuid beneatlr piston 16 until said piston has moved up to the limit of its upward stroke. For this purpose the valve may be formed as shown and thus extend said open space into the body of the va ve.

On the top of the casing 10 is secured a combined air and water chamber 20, suitable flanges on the respective parts, not shown, being provided for bolting them together. The chamber 2O is made of two horizontal sections between which is fastened a flexible, preferably rubber, diaphragm 21, adapted to play between the upper and lower interior surfaces ot said chamber. The top of the said chamber is provided with suitable air inlet and outlet mechanism 22, so that the cham- IOO ber mayrbesupplied with fresh air from the outsidethrough ene Achannel Iand -discharge Y through the nozzle by hose, or otherwise.

Connected with the diaphragm 21 is a tube k23 which passes centrally through a packed opening in thefbottomfoffcham-ber 2O and ex-f tends some distance into piston chamber `1'7' in the upper portion of the mainpcasing. A piston 18 is attached to the lower endof this tube and is adapted to play up and down in its chamber according as the pressure tluid'is" directed toone--side orthe'other throughlthe operations of the main valve. y nel or duct 24, open to the main inlet has a' lateral opening 25, at its top into the chamber17 behindjpiston`18,and`the valve chamber 13,.'has a'circumferential slot or opening 26 about its lowerportio'nth'roughwhichiiuidy 1 lis admitted from said chamber, (Fig. 1) vinto the Vopen space 27 about said valve chamber l; and 'thence'into `the 'chamber 17 lben eath -piston 11.8. Another duct or channel 28, leads lfromthelbotto'm and'side'of chamber 17 up` into thediaphragmchamber 20, through which Th usa chan-f.

these parts are .carried -upwardand the air inthe chamberabovethediaphragmsisforcibly expelled through the channel provided for `that purpose. As the piston and diaphragm rise, the head 29 on tube 19 is en- Igagedand said tubeis-carried up with them until it reaches the upward limit of its movement and the openings 18 are brought above valve `14,-as`-seen in Figs. 2 and 3. This accomplished, the several parts are in position Vto begin the reverse movement. The fluid beneath lowergpiston lunder'th'edcwnward pressureon said .piston is forced out through tube '19,the`ho'les 18 and the outlet -orV exexhaust port12. The valve 14 and the `piston 16 then further descend*until'thepiston is seatedat the bottom fof itsfch-amberjand the valve is carried down pasti the uslot-or opening 261F1'g. 3. 'lh'is-jopens ithe"way-ttor the discharge o'fthe fluid ybene'ath -piston 18 and the diaphragm, Yand "the *Huid pressure again asserts 4itself through opening" '25 4"behind piston 18 drawing the-'diaphragmdown fluid pressure is 'introduced beneath the diaphragm at the same ti'methat it bears'on'the 'bottom of piston.18. Y

"Therauxiliary valve 'tube 19 is packed in; :both '.thevalves 14: andthe piston 16, so asto havean'independent sliding movement-there,l inat thesame ltime tliatit is fluid tightabout 'itssides i'nsaidparts. )In thisinstance the said tubeis shown as having a stem atits upp-erjportion which forms its continuation into tube 23,-withfa head 29 which'pr'events its being drawn-outof piston 18,but the'tube itselfif closed at the top, might be so 'extended. Theoperationis'as follows: Assuming'that 'the'parts are down-at all points, the pressur'e u'identers Ybe'tvreenthe'main valve and lower piston v throughholes 17 and 18 and through tube S19 to the space beneath 'piston '16. This@ Acauses'said 4piston and the valve '1410 rise, .say to,the position lseen in Fig. 1. At thei startcf'thi's upward 4movement; lthe tube 191` 'of course is down sotnat the Aholes '18 are; free'for thejpassage of iuid from the open spacein-the neck connectingt-he Vmain'valve "and lower piston, as seenin Fig. 1, anditremainsdown until raised -by the piston 18 as hereinafter explained. The 'fluid entering through the'channel indicated `causes valve4 'and piston, 14 and 16,'to rise as seen in Figi 1 till the valve passes inlet slot or opening[ 26, "at 'the bottom "of Valve chamber, Lwheni `tluid'pressure is'admitted beneathpiston 18;' and 'the diaphragm 21. :Meanwhile 'fluidi jpressure isfbefhind "piston 18 through opening 25,"but this 'is 'counterbalanced'bythe pressure fromb'eneaththe piston while a AheaVyj iupwa'rdjpressure is introduced beneath the, diaphragm through channel 28. Thetube23 jismountedupon the upper sideof the 'dia- 'phragm withalarge disk`30,.and betweenthe and vexpelling theitluid from the'diaphragm chamber. t 4In this downward movement the piston 18 carries the tube f19-downtostarting position and the pistonV and -diaphragmalso reach `their downwardlimit .It willy be 'noticed th'atthe exhaust isfromtheftop side of the valve chamber; andthatthe pressure'fiiuid which'actuatesthe'upper'pistoniandthe-diaphragm first` enters through -slot r26 beneath the valve and `then discharges `back through said slotabove the valve. Suitablewebsfnot shown, connect the valve chamber with the surroundiii g casing above 'slot 126,'but are so rlocatedas not to interfere withthe duid-space about said chamber. Because'ofitsffunction withrelation to valve'lft 'and-'also in'orderthe more readily to identify fthe :piston 16 in the claims, 'I designatelit by the term governing piston?7 i A `material advantage -is obtaine'din :the use of adiaphragm bywhichtofforce the air, over a piston or plungerybyreasoncf the absence of weight 'orlfriction yinl'the dia- ICO phragm. l1f aplunger or Y'piston wereused instead of a diaphragm'thetrictionuponthe cylinder and the weight would have to tbe overcome by the Huid-'pressure:by-'whichthe pump is operated ybefore pressure 'would be exerted to'compress or forcethe air, and several pounds et such Vpressure to the-'square inch would berequired. Y In places-wherethe pressure is low, either by'reasonof ithe -norvmal pressure being low or 'byre'ason of :the elevated locationin which the pumpmay'be used, it is 'of the highest limportance that as little weight or friction vbeencounteredas possible,-as otherwisefthepump mightirefuse entirely to act. The range ofl pressure in 4difterentplace's is very great,sayfrom ten -to a `hundred pounds-to the Vsquare inch, "andfit isnecessary thatthepump shoul'dfbeadapted to'workin either case. 4\()f-course'if thepump jointpressures thus introduced and bearingv 4be so constructed 'that the Y lowest ypressure named be required to operate it, the-p/ump IZO would be useless in many places, but by the use of a diaphragm which has no perceptible weight and no friction whatever,'the only resistance to be overcome is found in the necessary valve and pistons, and this leaves a measurable pressure to be taken off to compress the air even when the pressure is unusually low, and makes the pump available in places and under conditions Where it would not be available if not so constructed.

The diaphragm 21, in the relation and operation as herein shown and described, performs the function of an ordinary piston of which it is the'mechanical equivalent.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a pump to compress or force air by water pressure, the main casing having a valve chamber and a valve therein and a piston to operate the valve, a piston chamber and a piston above said valve chamber, and water passages from one chamber to the other,

in combination with an air and Water cham-V ber provided with an air opening in its upper portion, and a water passage in its lower portion communicating with the aforesaid valve and piston chambers, and a diaphragm separating the air and water in said chamber, substantially as described.

2. The main casing having a piston chamber in its upper portion, a chamber with acentrally attached flexible diaphragm on said casing, and a piston attached to said diaphragm Working in said piston chamber, said casing having passages for the pressure iuid to enter upon both sides of said piston and on the lower side of the diaphragm, and a valve to control the flow of the pressure fluid and a governing piston, substantially as described.

3. The main casing having a valve chamber and valve, a piston chamber and piston above said valve chamber and passages for the pressure uid leading into said valve chamber and into the piston chamberbehind the piston therein, in combination with an piston in the main casing connected with the Y center of the diaphragm, an auxiliary water valve tube operated by said piston and eX- tending through the aforesaid valve and piston, and fluid passages, substantially as described.

5. The main casing having apiston chamber in its upper portion and a pressure fiuid duct leading to the upper portion of said chamber from the main fiuid inlet and entering above the piston therein, and a valve chamber beneath said piston chamber having an opening for the passage of pressure fluid to and from the lower portion of said piston chamber and beneath the piston, a piston and a valve in said chambers, respectively, and the diaphragm and the governing piston substantially as described.

6. The main casing having a valve chamber with a lateral opening, a piston chamber, and a combined air and water chamber above the piston chamber, and fluid ducts leading into both of said chambers supplied through the lateral opening in the valve chamber, in combination with a central diaphragm in the air and Water chamber, and a valve and piston in the valve andpiston chambers respectively, and the governing piston substantially as described.

Vitness my hand to the foregoing specification this lGth day of July, 1890.

EDWARD H. WEATHERHEAD.

Witnesses:

H. T. FISHER, NELLIE L. MCLANE. 

